Unforgiven
by Junkyosha no Tamashi
Summary: An argument between Tsukune and Moka after five years together leads to the unthinkable. Done as a spinoff of MistressWinowyll's "Get What You Wanted." Reuploaded due to reviewing issues.
1. Chapter 1

**XXXXX**

**Okay, there's a **_**LOT**_** of ground I have to cover here.**

**First off, I need to explain what it is I've done here.**

**This is the second and final revamp of this story. There is always the possibility that I may go back later and change, edit, or rewrite certain parts of a chapter, but it will not go farther than minor detail fixes. The name of the story itself has also been changed, to better suit the new plotline.**

**Secondly, my intentions for this change need to be known to you all. One of the main reasons I've been so "eh" in my updates is because I've been in **_**quite**_** a rut regarding my earlier outline. To be more specific, a**_** lot**_** of my original plot points and major pairings and events were getting to be extremely similar to those of **_**Get What You Deserve**_**, as well as some minor parts of **_**Get What You Wanted**_**. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, I don't want my story to parallel or be otherwise similar to another, at least not on a grand scale. I've talked to Winowyll about this issue for several days now, and we had both come to a reasonable conclusion about where to start this story off in such a way that maintains its originality as a spinoff by giving it its own uniqueness.**

**And I assure you that she likes what I've come up with.**

**And I'm all in if the original story writer is on board with my spinoff, as I always have been in regards to Winowyll and her involvement in this story.**

**For your help in this matter, Mistress, from the get-go to now, I thank you.**

**To those faithful readers who have been here since Day One, I want to both thank you for being so dedicated, as well as apologize for changing it around so drastically twice now. **

**But that's all said and done-this is the new, permanent story, and I hope you guys (and gals) enjoy it.**

**Oh, an extra note: this chapter is relatively short. This is completely intentional, and the second chapter probably will be short as well, for reasons that will make themselves known in due time.**

**XXXXX**

**As always,**

**LITERARY KEY**

If something is in **"_"** it's someone speaking aloud.

If something is in **'_'** and in _**italics**_, it's someone's thoughts.

"**XXXXX"** will be the separator, usually for a flashback or switching to another person's POV during the story.

**XXXXX**

"I'm giving you one last chance. Just say yes now before it's too late and we can go back to the way things were."

Tsukune felt a rush of disappointment settle over him at that, and had no qualms voicing it.

"I'm disappointed in you, Moka," he said softly, his voice disturbingly calm.

The woman in question blinked rapidly as if confused.

Opening her mouth to rebut, she was quickly cut off by Tsukune's same level baritone.

"I'm disappointed in you because I always thought you were better than this," he said, his tone like a parent scolding a misbehaving child. "I would have never dreamed that you'd even think you had to resort to something like this. Not with me…"

"The only reason I'm 'resorting' to this, Tsukune, is because you can't see reason," she said swiftly.

He raised a brow.

"_I _can't see reason?"

Moka nodded, elaborating.

"While I will always love you, Tsukune, you don't understand what it's like to grow up different than everyone else around you. Around people who are cruel and hurtful just _because_ you're different."

He raised a hand, pointing a finger towards himself.

"So a human attending a school for monsters that has an unofficial 'kill humans on sight' policy is perfectly normal, then?" he asked, the sarcasm practically dripping from his lips.

Moka blushed slightly at his obviously applicable answer.

"T-That's different, Tsukune…"

His hands moving again, he lifted the hem of his shirt to his collar, a dark glower coming over his features.

"Is it, Moka?"

His voice was just as melancholy, aching with deep-seated and remembered agony, of pain so immense it was nearly incomprehensible.

She was silent. She knew all too well how, and _why_, he got the myriad scars tearing across his muscular chest.

She didn't have time to answer, however, as a crisp knock on the front door interrupted the painfully nostalgic moment.

Turning her head to the door down the hall, and back to Tsukune on the couch, she cast him one last fleeting look, like a lamb ripe for slaughter waiting to be rescued.

He was silent as the grave and as still as the corpse within it.

Nodding, she made for the door, with only a tearful sentence issuing forth in the otherwise quiet house.

"It is chosen, then…"

**XXXXX**

"I called you here, Gin, because Tsukune and I are at an impasse in regards to our potential children," she said.

Gin nodded for her to continue.

"As I'm sure you know, humans are horribly cruel to anyone who is noticeably different from them. The issue is that Tsukune wants my children raised around them, being born a human himself. I explained this to him, and insisted that they be raised around my pureblood family and no one else."

The werewolf found himself nodding in agreement.

"So I gave him a choice," Moka continued. "He could either submit his foolishness to me, the future carrier and mother of these children, or I would find someone else to give me children myself. Which is why I've called you here, Gin," she finished with a shy smile.

He beamed, a wolfish smile coming to his face.

"I'm glad you finally see that I'm right for you on this, Moka," he said proudly.

**XXXXX**

He listened to their conversation with perfect clarity, Gin the whole time not even seeing Tsukune.

Everything Moka said he had already heard, but to hear it now, at the moment of truth, devastated Tsukune.

She was actually going to do this.

He said nothing, simply waiting, until the _intruder_ asked a _very_ stupid question.

"Although, is Tsukune even aware that _I'm_ the one you've chosen?"

"Very," came Tsukune's voice, tired and strained, the single word carrying throughout the quiet house.

The Aono vampire did take a bit of pleasure in the look on Gin's face.

Being the charmer everyone knew he was, the werewolf regained his composure almost immediately, the obvious follow-up question issuing from his lips.

"And you're seriously going to just let this happen?"

Tsukune nodded solemnly.

"Just because I'm physically not human anymore doesn't mean for an instant that my heart isn't. I can't turn my back on the people who raised me, and deny them time with my children. I can't reject everything that made me who I am, who I was when Moka and I first met, just so she can win one argument. I'd be denying my heritage and my bloodline, and I can't even imagine doing so. It's asking the impossible of me and I simply will not give in."

"Tch…"

It was clear what Gin thought of Tsukune pouring his heart out.

"And that's the reason you're going to give up this beautiful girl? Why you're going to just sit there and let this happen, in your own house?"

The vampire nodded again.

"Call it what you will, but yes. I will not relent just as Moka will not. I can't help her this time," he said, pausing briefly before saying something that absolutely shocked Moka…

"It's not my place."

… but she kept herself together. It was better that she hurry this along before it got worse than it had to.

Taking Gin's hand, she pulled him towards her lightly.

"Then it's decided," she said, before pulling the werewolf's head down roughly, kissing him passionately.

And he was more than eager to return the favor, she discovered.

Without breaking away, she continued to pull him, until the pair slowly made its way to the adjacent bedroom, Gin's foot nudging the door shut behind him.

**XXXXX**

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of the headboard of _his_ bed hitting the wall was like a knife in his heart.

And Moka's soft gasps and sighs were twisting the blade.

It had been over an hour since they'd started.

And they were soon to be finished; if Gin's increasingly frequent grunts were any indication.

Tsukune stopped thinking about it until the door opened and a sickening wave of musk hit him.

He saw Gin smirking in front of him, and Moka on the bed, looking at him with a sad façade.

Her eyes widened when he took off and dropped the gold band on his finger, and he heard movement when he turned and left.

Heard her voice, too, calling for him, screaming for him.

There was no point in confrontation, not with her, not with Gin.

So he kept walking, down the dark hallway that seemed to go on forever, while Moka screamed for him over and over again.

'_**You were weak…'**_

'_**Not even enough spine to stand up to either of them…'**_

'_**Pathetic, as always…'**_

The front door was so close, yet so far away.

'_**You're really going to just let this happen, Tsukune?'**_

'_**I'm glad you finally see that I'm right for you on this, Moka.'**_

'_**I've always wanted to make love to you, Moka.'**_

The door eluded him but stayed in its place, as though he were walking in place.

Moka's screams of his name were fading, replace slowly by her calling out Gin's name.

It wasn't long before her sighs, her whimpers of depraved ecstasy, joined the fray.

'_**You're a rare gem among humans, Tsukune, but the majority of them are cruel.'**_

'_**I will not allow you to sully the name of my family by tainting the next generation.'**_

'_**You will listen to me, Tsukune, or I will find someone who will.'**_

Despair consumed him. It seemed he was damned to endure this trial endlessly.

'_**Walk in there NOW.'**_

'_**Tear the fucking bastard apart.'**_

'_**Make them suffer.'**_

He kept walking.

'_**KIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLL….THHHHHEEEEEEMMMMMM….'**_

**XXXXX**

He jolted forward, a short cry issuing forth from his lips.

His heavy breathing filled the dark room, a cold sweat sheening on his body.

Putting his hand on his forehead, he sighed tiredly.

'_Not again…'_

He heard a rustle of sheets next to him, along with a groggy yawn.

Soft eyes found his in the dark as a distinctly feminine form rose beside him, her arms wrapping around him knowingly, reassuringly.

"Was it that dream again, Tsukune?"

He nodded, a slight smile coming to his face.

"Yeah, but it's nothing to worry about. It's only a dream."

She was glad to hear that. She had been so worried that the recurring dream would have affected their relationship when it first came up. Hearing him rationally dismiss it for what it was made her feel happy, more relaxed that Tsukune was still himself.

She felt his arms return the favor, pulling her closer to him.

"I'm so lucky to have you," he said, his voice warm and genuinely happy.

Nodding, she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you, Tsukune," she said, the only response she considered appropriate.

He leaned over and kissed her temple.

"I love you too, Kurumu-chan."


	2. Chapter 2

**XXXXX**

**Sorry about the time between updates. **

**The real world, unfortunately, must come first in priorities; and now that I have a steady employment, expect updates times to be about what they have been.**

**I'm not particularly happy about the wait time, but there isn't anything I can do.**

**Anyway, for the song in this chapter, on the very plausible chance you haven't heard **_**Control**_** by Traci Lords, I highly recommend it. **

**It's a really catchy song, and given the situation, it sure doesn't hurt that it's sung by a former porn star. **

**Go figure.**

**XXXXX**

**LITERARY KEY**

If something is in **"_"** it's someone speaking aloud.

If something is in **'_'** and in _**italics**_, it's someone's thoughts.

"**XXXXX"** will be the separator, usually for a flashback or switching to another person's POV during the story.

**XXXXX**

A faint coolness graced him as he awoke, peeking through the blinds of the window. Bars of moonlight illuminated the otherwise dark room, resting upon the bed. Blinking groggily, Tsukune sat up, the great yawning maw of sleep still holding him. Bracing himself with his left hand, he noticed the other half of the queen-sized mattress was empty. Only the faintest of heat still lingered where his Destined One had previously been lying, which meant that she had risen long before he.

The sands of tiredness leaving his vision, he glanced at the clock, letting out a low whistle.

8:38 pm.

It would be an understatement and a half to say he had overslept, but certainly it wasn't without good reason.

After all, how could a man, with ridiculous stamina, no less, be expected to get much _normal_ sleep with a succubus for a partner?

The thought and slightly lingering scents were enough to justify his sleeping in.

Swinging the sheets off, Tsukune reluctantly left the warmth of the bed, heading to the adjacent bathroom for a quick shower.

'_It's certainly going to be interesting when I go downstairs,' _he thought, closing the door behind him.

**XXXXX**

"Are you _sure_ you don't want me to go wake him up, Mumu-chan? I guarantee you he'd wake up happy."

"I'm sure, Auntie. And stop calling me that."

Shade sighed wistfully.

"I get that he's your Destined One and all, sweetheart, but it's been three years. When are you gonna share him?"

Kurumu eyed her aunt, annoyed, with a tone to match.

"Never, unless he specifically says he wants to. Like you said, it's been three years," she paused, gulping a drink from the glass of tea in front of her.

"I thought you'd have taken the hint by now," she finished with a wry smile.

The Arch-Succubus huffed defiantly.

"Please, Mumu-chan, don't be silly. You know by now Vampires aren't easy to land, and are worth the effort anyway…"

A shameless and knowing grin came to Shade's exquisite face.

"I've heard you scream, Mumu-chan, I _know_ he's good."

A guilty blush rose to Kurumu's cheeks.

Well, guilt _and_ indignation.

"Stop calling me Mumu-chan! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

"Well, hon, I'd say about…"

**XXXXX**

Dressed simply in jeans and a t-shirt, Tsukune descended the stairs in the back of Devil's Little Angels, like he had almost every day the past three years.

It was never an atmosphere one could adjust to. There was always something interesting or ridiculous going on, some loud and obnoxious drunk hollering around, or some other random occurrence that made the place unique.

And watching the trio of Succubae argue from a distance was always mildly amusing.

Kurumu always _was _cute when she got flustered.

Walking towards their corner table, he somehow got the miraculous suspicion that he, and probably moreso his penis, was the subject at hand.

Kurumu faced away from him, with mother and aunt facing her. Ageha didn't seem very interested in the discussion, as her attention appeared to be more focused on the rather curvaceous redhead currently onstage.

It was Shade's voice he heard first, as the case often was.

"…because I'm not gonna let a catch like that go without a fight, Mumu-chan. Can you really blame me? You shouldn't have picked such a hot Destined One, sweetie."

He saw her eyes glance up towards him from behind Kurumu.

"Well, speak of the Devil. Mornin', hon."

Tsukune didn't have much time to brace himself for the breast pillow he had become so accustomed to.

'_Not that I really mind it,'_ he thought to himself, inwardly smirking.

"I'd ask if you slept well, Tsukune," said Ahega, eyes still following the twists and gyrations of the red-haired stripper, "but I don't think you got much of _that_, eh?"

She still grinned a bit on the last bit.

Kurumu unwrapped her legs from his torso, dropping from him quickly before wheeling around.

"Okaa-san, yo-"

"Re_lax_, Mumu-chan," Ageha dismissed, waving her hand at her daughter. "I'm only teasing."

Her gaze had _still_ not left the stage.

Tsukune found himself compelled to ask.

"You haven't stopped looking at that woman since I came down. Who is she?"

The question was a bit formal for asking about a stripper's identity, but now that he'd thought about it, Tsukune noted that he'd never seen her before. Not to mention, Ageha never watched the other girls with this much intensity without being sexual about it. It was almost as if she were _judging_ her.

"Her name's Sarah," came Ageha's reply. "She wanted to work here, so I'm watching her as she shows me what she can do. Haven't come up with a stage name for her yet, though."

"You're only seeing her for the first time and you're already considering hiring her?" Tsukune asked incredulously.

"Of course, Tsukune, dear. I've been in this business long enough to know when someone's got the stuff and when they don't. I knew she had talent when she walked in the door. I just wanted to see her perform so we could find a suitable stage name and routine for her. Not to mention, it's a hell of a show."

The young Vampire couldn't deny that. The crowd loved it. It could be because she was new, but they were going nuts in any case.

Bringing his gaze to Kurumu, who had also taken up watching Sarah with her aunt and mother, Tsukune couldn't help but remember his first night in Devil's Little Angels.

**XXXXX**

Loud riffs blasted from speakers as colorful strobes brightened the otherwise dimly light club. The horndogs were at the poles, and the drinkers at the bar. A few scattered groups sat nonchalantly at corner tables and booths, not watching the strippers and just talking over a few beers.

And amidst it all, sat one young man, who wondered why in the Hell he was here, and not back at the hotel room he had become accustomed to. His marriage of five years was over, the woman he thought he knew had betrayed him, and while he was no longer Bound to her, he didn't feel remotely close to freedom. Rather, he felt more akin to despair and hopelessness. Self-doubt plagued him day and night. Constant what-ifs played in the corners of his mind. And on top of it all, his former mate would.

Not. Leave. Him. Alone.

Every day he'd get multiple calls from her, even after deleting her information from his phone. The road to recovery couldn't be paved if the foundation would never settle.

He knew it should be more annoying than emotionally overwhelming, but the pain was still too close.

It wasn't all bad, though. After initially coming here to see Kurumu two months ago, he had gradually come to cope with the pain better. Considering the state he was in upon arrival, his current emotional state could be considered golden in its level of improvement.

It only became an issue when he was alone.

When he was with Kurumu, he was happy. Happier, truthfully, than he had been in years. He had been happy in his marriage with Moka (or rather, he _thought_ he had been), but unlike her, Kurumu never tried to force her will upon him, or lessen his own self-worth by belittling his own will. She actually did that more to herself, than anything. Which he hated, though he knew that it was all in an effort to help him recover.

For which, he could not find suitable words to express his gratitude.

And so he was fine around the company of others, but Kurumu in particular had a special effect on him. He felt more…at peace around her, which he couldn't understand, considering he himself was responsible for her exile. Constantly, he would ask her why, and always he'd get a variance of the same response.

"Nothing was your fault, Tsukune. You were just following your heart. This is me following mine."

And all was well.

Until he was alone.

His thoughts would always stray, inevitably, back to that night, and the despair would claim him anew each time.

Which it was doing at the moment, as Kurumu had left the table to get something to eat.

A few minutes of solitude could do startling wonders on the mind.

He didn't realize he had been zoned-out until he heard Kurumu's voice next to him.

"Tsukune? Are you okay?"

Blinking, he turned back to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…spacing out, I guess."

The young Succubus frowned. She knew what really had happened, but she wasn't about to push the issue. Not if it hurt him.

"Well…anyway, I got you some food. It isn't all that much, being bar food, but it beats nothing."

Nodding in agreement, Tsukune reached for a piece of chicken as the DJ announced the next dancer.

"_**You're in for a special treat tonight, folks! The owner of Devil's Little Angels, the lovely Caro Shade has decided to give us the privilege of a performance tonight!"**_

The cheers were nearly deafening, the Aono Vampire noted. It seemed that Kurumu's aunt made rarer appearances on the pole than he expected.

"I'll be right back, Tsukune. I have to talk to Okaa-san real quick," Kurumu said, leaving before he could respond.

A techno warble played through the speakers as the stage colors dimmed to an illustrious blue. The crowd, now literally on the edges of their seats, went quiet at a frighteningly quick speed. It was another forty seconds of light play until the beat picked up, and the woman herself drew forth from the curtains.

Dangerous.

Even in his current emotional state and lack of desire for sex, Tsukune found himself perking up in his seat the moment Shade stepped through the threshold onto the stage. Wearing only a tantalizingly deep purple corest, with matching stockings and garterbelt, she looked every bit the Arch-Succubus she was. Slowly, she approached the pole, looking down at the crowd through half-lidded eyes, a faint smile of amusement on her lips.

The chicken lay forgotten.

The woman's timing was immaculate, for being an improvised show. Her hand touched the pole the instant the song reached its high, heavy techno riffs blasting from the surround-sound speakers. Quick and furious, the music was reflected in the dance, as Shade worked the metal fixture in such a way that Tsukune (and probably others) could not have imagined possible.

However, Tsukune's ever-growing interest in the performance stopped the second the lyrics kicked in.

'_Such a lonely,_

_you're such a blue._

_You lost your lover,_

_let me console you._

_If you surrender, _

_you'll feel no pain,_

'_cause I'm the master_

_at this game.'_

The riff resumed, as the young Aono sat in near-shock at the lyrics. The coincidence was horribly frightening, to say the least, and considering the fact that he had thought about starting a new relationship with Kurumu once or twice since he arrived, it hit home more than it should have.

'_Let me kiss it,_

_and make it better._

_After tonight,_

_you will forget her.'_

Tsukune looked up to see Shade, never faltering from the performance, looking straight at him.

Of course. She had planned this to get to him. He hadn't been made unaware of her interest in him in the two months since he arrived, so he should have, logically, expected something like this.

Even so, the lyrics were affecting him adversely more than they ought to have been. He wanted out of there.

Now.

He quickly got up, making for the front door above all other priorities. The seduction attempt was not a good mix with emotional tumult, and he had been meaning to get some fresh air for awhile anyway.

'_Let me kiss it,_

_and make it better._

_After tonight,_

_you will forget her.'_

He stepped outside, hand on the knob, only a moment's pause stopping him.

'_I will control your soul,_

_control…'_

The door shut behind him, the crisp winter air inviting him respite.

**XXXXX**

Though not without legitimate reason, Tsukune found a slight amusement that a simple strip-club song could have made him so upset.

The memory of Shade dancing must have put a tiny spike in his pheromones, or put a wry smile on his face, as the woman in question quirked a knowing brow at him while the blue-haired Succubae continued to watch the stage.

Or she was just flirting with him. Like always.

"You know, hon," she said softly, intending only for him to hear, "you shouldn't space out like that so much. Even if it's only a for a second, you never know what you might come back to…"

Before he could reply, his phone rang. Though the club's music should have made hearing it difficult, they were in a corner booth, and he _did_ have superhuman senses.

Not needing to check the Caller I.D., he put the receiver to his ear.

"Hello, Akasha. What time am I meeting you?"

**XXXXX**


	3. Chapter 3

**XXXXX**

**Yeah, for those of you that noticed, I deleted and reuploaded the story.**

**On the very likely possibility that this fucked up the update data for those of you who favorite this story, I am sorry.**

**It seems, for some reason, that Winowyll was unable to post a review to the newest chapter, and she told me as much.**

**This led me to wonder if she was the only one. There have only been a few recent reviews, and those have been from people who haven't reviewed before.**

**Now, I could have done this for nothing, but that's two similar variables, too many to chalk it up to coincidence. So I took the risk.**

**I'd rather lose a hundred existing reviews than, even inadvertently, restrict readers from posting new ones.**

**That isn't fair to you, or to me.**

**So, if this pissed anybody off or caused any listing problems, I apologize again.**

**The bright side to all this, I suppose, is that I wanted to put up this bulletin of sorts in a new chapter, rather than update an older one.**

**So you guys get the third chapter sooner than I had initially planned.**

**Not much dialogue here, but it's a flashback-heavy chapter anyway. A little longer than my usual chapter length, too.**

**XXXXX**

If something is in **"_"** it's someone speaking aloud.

If something is in **'_'** and in _**italics**_, it's someone's thoughts.

"**XXXXX"** will be the separator, usually for a flashback or switching to another person's POV during the story.

Starting with this chapter, I will be using precise time markers here and there, such as "an hour before" and the like. It's a necessary evil, as I can't exactly use a flashback marker within a flashback without inciting a ton of time confusion. You'll know them when you see them.

**XXXXX**

Spending a period of time with Akasha had become routine for Tsukune since his Shinso abilities had awoken.

At first, it had been to train him to adjust to, experience, and learn to control his vast array of new powers and potentials. The first session had occurred during the second year of their marriage. His Shinso blood had suddenly seized, triggering a nasty physical response, and doing serious damage to his body and mind.

Had he not conveniently been in the Castle at the time, and had Akasha not responded as quickly as she had, he could very easily have died.

Or worse, he could have become a Ghoul.

But after she had initially stopped the first attack, it had become clear to all that he would need training beyond what Touhou Fuhai had given him in the past.

After all, the chief carrier of the bloodline would have the most knowledge about it.

And so the training began. The sessions were brutal and brief initially, but as his endurance and stamina grew, so too did the length and intensity of the training exercises.

After Tsukune had become stable enough, the training ceased. As Akasha told him at the time, he would not need further training and/or suppression unless he gained new abilities.

And so it was. All had returned to normal, until that night.

The night when his being was crushed, his soul shattered, and his heart, home, and trust violated in a way too horrible to give words.

**XXXXX**

A pained groan issued from Gin as he lay against the now-impacted hallway wall.

Moka lay on the floor near him, half on her side as she looked up at her livid mate in horror.

He…he had struck her.

Her Tsukune, who had fought, endured, suffered, and nearly died again and again for her…had hit her.

The very thought of it caused tears to well in her eyes and he glared down at her.

_**-A few minutes earlier-**_

Moka could only stare in near-mute shock as Tsukune just…walked away without a word.

In front of her was the man who had taken her as his own, under Tsukune's own roof and damn near right in front of him, and her mate was doing…nothing?

She hadn't exactly expected him to celebrate the occasion and bust open a bottle of champagne, but silent apathy was _not_ on her list of expected responses.

After Gin had opened the door to smirk at Tsukune and tell him "what a good fuck his wife was," she had, at the very least, expected the werewolf to lose a few teeth.

She couldn't just let him walk off after all this. It defeated the entire purpose for her doing it in the first place.

She nudged past Gin and ran after him down the entryway hall.

"Tsukune, wait!" she nearly yelled, grabbing his sleeve as she attempted to pull him back to face her.

He had turned to face her, alright.

The backhand to her right cheek brought forth from the turn of his body, however, was a surprise and a shock. The hit itself was not entirely restrained, though it was obvious Tsukune _had_ pulled it to a considerable degree, and it wasn't as though she couldn't take a punch. Even in her sealed state, she had a certain extent of toughness. It was the notion of Tsukune _actually hitting her_ that caused her knees to go weak under her.

Gin, however, didn't know that, and appeared to think that she had been struck full-force.

"Son of a bitch!"

He seemed to lunge before she had even touched the floor.

Which was odd. _Really_ odd.

After all, what good were such seemingly chivalrous actions when the one expressing them had just slept with a married woman in her marriage bed?

Regardless of his reasoning for it, it didn't stop Tsukune from _really_ throwing a punch at the werewolf.

The crack that resonated throughout the entire house could only be described as terrific.

Gin slammed into the wall behind her, knocking more than a few pictures and ornaments from it and the surrounding walls.

It was a surprise he only went to the inner brick, and not completely through the wall.

Tsukune had _not_ pulled that punch, and deservedly so.

But her momentary thought and analyzation of the situation ended abruptly as he turned his gaze down to her.

Uru's screams of rage and demands for release went unheard as Moka felt a nauseous fear rise in her body.

"How dare you touch me," he said, his voice harder than she had ever heard it, "after that."

She wanted to reply, to try and reason with him, explain herself, justify her actions, but…

…she could not. The horrid malevolence in his normally soft chocolate eyes ignited a terror in her she had never known before.

"I don't care what you could_ possibly_ have to say to explain yourself, Moka. I will _never_ care. There is _nothing_ you can say, or do, which will justify this."

He stepped forward, and Moka felt herself instinctively recoil from Tsukune's approaching form. She vaguely thought she heard herself whimper, too.

"_Everything_ I have done for nearly a decade has been for _you_."

Another step.

"I've bled for _you_. Damn near died for _you_. Spent countless nights dreaming about _you_ while I recovered."

He pulled of his shirt, exposing his scarred torso to her.

"_This_ has been almost entirely for _you_, Moka. Can you remember when I got each one? I can."

He lifted his chin, defiantly, as he looked down at her judgmentally as if he were the harbinger of Death himself.

"And what have I _**ever**_ asked of you besides your love and respect?"

Though nothing he said was new to Moka, the context and sheer reality of it was like the proverbial ton of bricks bring dropped onto her shoulders.

"The same two things which I have suffered to earn, you have so…_disgustingly_ thrown away," he spat venomously.

"I have _never_ been so disappointed in someone than I am with you right now."

He turned, reclothing himself for the night air he was about to immerse himself in.

Stopping briefly in the doorframe, he addressed her one final time.

"We're done, Moka. If you have any of that pride you love so much, you'll do us the favor of breaking the Blood Rites with me."

And so he was gone.

**XXXXX**

Shortly after that night, after he had returned to Castle Akashiya, he had erupted into another series of seizures, far more violent than the previous ones.

With the Shinso bloodline being so precisely reactive to the host's emotions, it was not a surprise to him when he learned of their cause.

Which drove him to seek the breaking of the Rites at an increasing intensity.

Moka had, of course, refused. Her Outer self had been more emotional about it, declining so that she could prove to him she was sorry. Uru, on the other hand, flat-out refused to break them when she had done no wrong against them.

Normally, Issa, being the one who had Bound them, would have had the final say should he need to intervene. Vampires, however, are not as disapproving of infidelity as a human marriage is. While Tsukune had very easily divorced her of that, the Blood Rites were more difficult. Since her actions violated none of their laws, a mutual agreement was required of them to break them. And since she would not agree, they stayed Bound.

For a time, anyway.

Since Tsukune was too preoccupied to spend time training against them, the seizures continued with increasing frequency and intensity as his emotional state became more and more distressed. The continued stress of being unable to leave Moka permanently and go somewhere where she couldn't follow to start over was doing him no good whatsoever.

It was not until Moka had been present for the seizure which very nearly killed him, that she had finally agreed to comply.

It was not out of regret of her actions, she had said, but out of concern and legitimate worry for Tsukune's well-being.

**XXXXX**

Choked screams filled the bedroom as several servants, as well as Akasha and Issa, restrained Tsukune on his bed while he lashed uncontrollably.

Writhing and contorting in absolute agony, it was clear to all who knew of his condition that this one might kill him.

His body itself seemed to pulse and undulate within the fetid and twisted aura which was flaring madly around him.

His eyes, long since rolled back, had begun to turn a disgusting black as the very blood in his body seemed to sicken. His veins became visible, a network of crisscrossed meshes of blotched color, standing out grotesquely against his rigid musculature.

A crackling filled the air like an invisible electric field, and his body itself would randomly flash to his true unsealed form, before immediately reverting.

While the others seemed unfazed by this horror, Moka, as much as she wanted to, could not even muster the will to flee the room. This was worse than any pain she had ever seen him in, and the sight was more than she could psychologically bear. Yet she could not turn away, as deep within her heart, she knew that this was her fault. She would not admit it out loud, and perhaps not even to herself once this had passed (_if_ it had passed), but she knew. She knew more than she had ever known anything before.

Suddenly, and without warning, Akasha tore her golden Rosario from her throat and placed it on Tsukune's forehead.

The effect was immediate, which was perhaps more frightening than the seizure itself.

He stopped thrashing, calming within moments. With no need to be restrained any longer, the servants left without a word.

His breathing, though heavy and labored with lingering remembrances of pain, was stable.

Stable enough, even, for him to speak.

"W…why did….you wa….wait so l…long, Aka….sha?"

Sympathy on her pretty face, Moka's mother offered the simplest explanation she could.

"If I had sealed your Shinso power too soon in one that bad, you could have relapsed from the shock, which would have almost certainly killed you."

Tsukune nodded, understanding the logic of the statement, given his previous awareness of the condition.

"A…alright," Moka said, her voice cracking and a mere thread's width from breaking altogether.

All heads turned to her.

"I'll d…do it…"

Uru looked at Tsukune directly, without pretentiousness in her eyes for the first time in ages. Instead, fear and concerned sympathy filled her expression.

"I can't bear to…to see him li-like this…"

**XXXX**

Once their Bond had been broken, Tsukune had gone to Las Vegas. He had needed somewhere to stay that was _far_ from Moka. Mizore, though willing to house him, had a family to worry about, and Tsukune did not want to even remotely impose upon that. Her village was also still within Japan, and who was to say Moka wouldn't show up at the door one day?

Ruby also offered, but as he was not an enrolled student any longer, nor an enlisted worker there, Youkai Academy was not a given option. There were protocols which could have been followed to give him allowable refuge there, but those channels, even with Mikogami's support, would expend time and effort which could have been avoided, and put towards other things. Witch's Knoll was also a nice option, but it was still within Moka's ability to get there.

So staying with Kurumu and her family an ocean apart from Moka seemed ideal.

He could have easily just gotten an apartment somewhere else, but Kurumu had been exiled because of a choice _he_ had made.

He owed her this time, at the _very_ least. He did not step off the plane with immediate thoughts of sex and a rebound relationship, but he did not discredit the thought of working towards a relationship with her once the time was right. A thought which grew more and more appealing with each passing day.

**XXXXX**

That had been three years ago. Now happily together, he and Kurumu led the life he had once wished to live with Moka.

Nigh-perfect, scarce arguments, with love and warm tenderness in abundance moreso than the physical act.

Well, that last part may not have been as romanticized as he once envisioned. He _was_ with a Succubus, after all.

Now that he had thought of _her_, Tsukune felt…

...nothing. He bore _her_ ill will no longer, his anger long since dissipated. The situation had been out of his control entirely, and as such, the hostility was baseless and solved nothing. So he simply thought of Moka for what she was; his ex, with whom he had happy times until it went sour.

Which had been for the better for him, as he was now with someone who he had, one more than one occasion, told he was ready and eager to spend eternity with.

Normally, Succubae live for three centuries or so, but if they find their Destined One and have a healthy relationship with them, then they can continue living as long as their partner. Being creatures of sexuality and passion, Succubae can draw sustenance from healthy relationships and stay alive and well from it.

Since Tsukune, being a Vampire, was immortal, Kurumu could theoretically live forever as long as they remained together in a mutually beneficial relationship. Granted, it had never been done, or even heard of, before in Succubus culture, but there were documented instances amongst the various communities of Succubae who, with non-human Destined Ones of long lifespans, lived for hundreds of years beyond their supposed life expectancy. There was no circumstance to say that Kurumu could not live forever if she remained with Tsukune and was happy.

Which was good enough for him, as he had thought more than once that Kurumu was his own Destined One.

**XXXXX**

"Hello, Akasha. What time am I meeting you?"

"_Ten o' clock. Same place as always."_

"Okay. See you then."

He closed his phone. He had a little less than an hour, so he had to leave immediately to make it in time.

Since the last serious seizure, Akasha had felt that he would need regular training to keep his Shinso abilities under control. So they had agreed that once a month, they would meet and spend a weekend together training.

Kurumu, naturally, assumed the worst of this, with Akasha resembling Moka's seal personality so much and having Tsukune to herself for an entire weekend.

But she was quickly assured of Akasha's honor the only time she tagged along. The training had been intense, too intense to leave any time for anything besides a break or two.

And although Tsukune had not had an attack since that day, he still opted to train with Akasha, for not only was he not going to take the risk of having another seizure, his powers were constantly changing, adapting, and growing. Since he had been with Kurumu, his Shinso abilities had assimilated some of the powers of a Succubus; he had grown a tail in his Released state, and had acquired low-level Charm spells and other illusory abilities. If he were to visit Mizore some day, he knew he would end up with some degree of limited control over liquids and ice when he left. So he continued his training to hone this potent and potentially dangerous assimilating ability.

After the incident with Moka, however, their meetings became about more than just training. With Moka being the only other known carrier of the Shinso bloodline, her actions became the subject of grave scrutiny by the Vampire Elders. Whether intentional or not, tainting the most powerful and ancient legacy of their kind was not taken lightly.

She was eventually given back most of her _severely_ restricted freedoms, after earning them and proving that she would not repeat the mistake. This had _only_ been allowed because she had never been an active carrier of the bloodline. She had had a recessive inheritance of it, meaning that while she was indeed more powerful and resilient than an average Vampire, she did not possess the immense powers of assimilation, adaptation, and growth that Tsukune and Akasha had expressed.

Because he _did_ have the dominant bloodline gene, Tsukune became _very_ interesting to the Elder Council. There was even talk of him becoming her Dimensional Herald in Issa's stead, which Tsukune immediately denied. He didn't want, or need, the entire Dimension's fate resting on his shoulders. Issa had done very well up until that point and Tsukune saw no reason to try and take that from him.

But even with that, the training sessions became half-and-half meetings. One day of the weekend was spent training; the other spent discussing what the Council had been involved in. It was of no immediate concern of Tsukune's, but given his title, inheritance, and power, he would need to be kept in the loop should something come up in the future.

Which he had no real qualms about. It meant he got a day off the brutal training to spend relaxing and simply talking. Occasionally, the two of them would go somewhere nice to have dinner whilst they conversed, but the pair had enough self-control and rationale about them that the situation never, thankfully, escalated beyond that.

However, this time, he had something he wanted to ask. He had never asked it before, but the curiosity of it had finally gotten the better of him. It wasn't that he didn't ask it out of malcontent, just out of awareness of how tricky the footing surrounding the answer could be.

He thought it over repeatedly until he came to the empty field he always met Akasha in, before she teleported them both to their training ground at Witch's Knoll.

As always, she was there waiting for him, sitting comfortably on the grass, not bothered by the cold. The chill air danced through her hair, sending fuchsia strands on a dance of their own.

"So, Akasha," Tsukune said, sitting down beside her. "I want to ask you something."

She turned towards him, and he had a faint suspicion she knew that he was about to ask.

"Yes, Tsukune?"

He hesitated, trying to find the least slippery way to ask it.

He wet his lips before settling on an appropriate choice.

"How's the baby?"

**XXXXX**


End file.
